Drinking tube



9 'A. P. GILDERSLEEVE 2,063,803 1 DRINKING TUBE Filed May 14, 1955 ATTORNEY.

5 dicate the color red.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Arthur P. Gildersleeve, Denver, Colo. Application May 14, 1935, Serial No. 21,438

' 5 Claims. (01. 299-17) This invention relates to improvements in tube, and will derive a certain amount of amusedrinking tubes, and has reference more particument from watching the liquid flow, particularly to tubes designed for-use in feeding young larly in its passage through the bent portions, children. and this will serve as an inducement for it to It frequently happens that children, whether drink the liquid. 5 well or sick, refuse obstinately to drink certain The tube can be of plain glass, colored glass, liquids, such as fruit juices. milk and the like, or of glass ornamented in any way, but it must which are necessary in a balanced diet. be transparent to the extent that the child can It is the object of this invention to produce-a see the liquid flowing therein.

drinking tube of such construction that its use While the invention has been illustrated in 10 will interest the child and its attention will be certain special shapes, it is to be understood that directed to observing the flow of liquid, while it the type of design employed is practically unuses the tube, thereby making its use somewhat limited, so long as an indirect passage is prolike a game or the operation of an interesting vided intermediate the ends of the tube, and

toy. preferably within the normal range of vision of 15 This invention, briefly described, consists of a person using the tube. a 'glass tube, of the size ordinarily used for This indirect passage may be transverse to drinking tubes, which is bent intermediate its the normal course of liquids through. the tube, ends-into various diflerent shapes or designs that or it may be directed to cause liquids to travel Patented Dec. 8, 1936 I Q Q I I b I will serve to attract the child's attention when away from the discharge end at an intermediate 20 liquid flows through such intermediate portion, point in the tube.

preferably disposed in the normal line of vision It will also be apparent without illustration 01 th chil and which, therefore, serve as an that satisfactory results may be obtained by incentive to induce the child to drink in order enlarging a portion of the tube'to effect an into observe the liquid flowing through the tube. direct travel of liquids through the tube, as 5 Having thus briefly described the invention, it by blowing or the like.- will now be described in greater detail, and for The design of the irregular portion may repthis P p reference W be hadto the a cOmresent signs, symbols, letters, or it may be in panying drawing in which the invention has been the, nature of a, caricature,

illustrated in its preferred form, and in which It has been found that when the bent por 30 Figure 1 shows one form of the invention in tion of the tube departs from a straight line a position in a glass containing liquid; and distance equal to at least twenty per cent of the Figures 2, 3, 4 and'5 each show a slightly difdistance between the extremities, it will cause ferent design of tube, with Figure 4 lined to inthe liquid flowing therein to come within the normal line of vision of the user. This is clearly In the drawing, reference numeral 6 indicates shown in Figures 1 and 2. v a drinking glass which contains a liquid, such as While the invention is particularly adapted to orange juice. The drinking tube has been desigpromote the feeding of small children, it is nated'in each view by the letter T. The tube is within contemplation of the invention that glass 40 bent intermediate its ends into a loop like that tubing formed in the manner herein described 40 shown in Figures 1 and 3 and designated by may be used whenever glass tubing or drinking reference numeral 1, or into any other shape straws are used to facilitate the consumption of such as those designated by numerals 8, 9 and liquids and beverages.

H], in Figures 2, 4 and 5 respectively. It is to be understood that, when desired,

The ends of the tube are usually straight as the ends of the tube may be flattened or formed 5 indicated by reference numerals H and I2, and. into other irregular shapes. It is likewise within these ends may be anguiarly inclined in -the contemplation of the invention that tubes or manner shown in Figures 1 and 2, or in axial "tubing, as used in the specification, shall be alignment as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The construed to include irregular tube-like parts ends of the tube have been fused, as indicated of other than annular section.

by numeral l3, so as to make them smooth and Changes and modifications may be availed of to remove the possibility of cutting .the user. within the spirit and scope of the invention as- When a tube formed in this manner is in use defined in the hereunto appended claims. the child can see the intermediate bent portions, Having described the invention, what is 66 and will watch the liquid flowing through the claimed as new is: 5

1. A transparent drinking tube, especially intended for the use of children, and having intermediateits ends a portion .bent so as to provide a circuitous passage for the flow of a liquid, said portion being so related to the remainder of the tube that it extends into the normal range of vision of the user, whereby the flow of the liquid therethrough can be seen by the child using the tube, and attract and hold its attention.

2. A transparent drinking tube, especially intended for the use of children, and having intermediate its ends a portion bent so as to provide a circuitous passage for the flow of a liquid, the passage having a portion in which the liquid flows away from the user, said portion being so related to the remainder of the tube that it extends into the normal'range of vision of the user, whereby the flow of the liquid therethrough can be seen by the child using the tube, and attract and hold its attention.

3. A transparent drinking tube, especially intended for the use of children, and having intermediate its ends a portion bent so as to provide a circuitous passage for the flow of a liquid, said portion being so related.to the remainder of the tube that it extends into the normal range of vision of the user, whereby the flow oi the liquid therethrough can be seen by the child using the tube, and attract and hold its attention, the ends of the tube being substantially straight and angularly related.

4. A drinking tube, especially intended for the use of children, and having alternately transparent and opaque sections, the tube being bent intermediate its ends so as to provide a tortuous passage, portions of thepassage extending transversely of a line joining the ends of the .tube, the portion of the tube forming the tortherethrough, the bent portion ranging laterally from an imaginary line connecting the ends of the tube, a distance not less than twenty per cent of the distance between the extremities.

ARTHUR P. GILDERSLEEVE. 

